Firebirds Rising:An Exploration of Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Overly Long Wiki Page Titles in Young Adult Literature
What is Science Fiction?
Bad make-up and cheesy sound effects, mostly. But I'm guessing you're looking for a little more than that, so I suppose we can consult good ol' Webster: Fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes, frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other planets.
Can you define Fantasy?
Depending on who you're talking to, this answer might not be PG. But if you're just looking for a definition of genre (which, of course, you are), look no further: A genre of imaginative fiction involving magic and adventure, esp. in a setting other than the real world
Overly Long Wiki Page Titles?
That would be a Wiki Page Title. You know, one that's way too long. Like mine is. Don't judge me.
Reader Expectations:
"Yeah, that's right -- you better NOT defy these!"
Like any genre of writing, science fiction and fantasy have certain elements that readers expect to see. Young Adult Sci-Fi and Fantasy are no different. Here are a few of them: Fantastic Alterations of Reality: Whether your scope is as large as an entire planet made out of spaghetti and time-travelling French bullfrogs or as small as a slightly-more-powerful-than-normal GPS system, readers of fantasy and science fiction always have at least one expectation in mind: something will be different. Part of the allure of fantasy and science fiction is the exploration of worlds vastly different from our own -- worlds in which reality doesn't always behave quite as it should. If a piece of work fails to deliver on this most basic premise, it's not fantasy or science fiction. And therefore probably not cool. Fast-Paced Prose: Short stories, by their very nature, must be fast-paced in order to keep the reader's attention. When dealing with young adults, this becomes even more important, as most adolescents have the approximate attention span of a dried banana peel. Many stories start in medias res, giving us an indication of something that has happened, or is about to happen very shortly. Here is an excerpt from "The Real Thing," by Allison Goodman: The mind experiment had seemed like a good idea an hour ago. Now I wasn't so sure; Mavkel and I barely had the basics of telepathy covered, let alone this kind of thing. "Are you prepared, Joss-partner?" Mav sung, the tips of his double-jointed ears quivering with excitement. He was a Chorian, a mainly telepathic race, but when he did speak he used his two mouths to harmonise the words. (See how tricky she is there? Not only does she build tension with foreshadowing, but she also sneaks in that physical description by attaching it to something new and unique. Before we realize that she's slowing down the story, we've been given this creative sensory input -- two voices harmonizing with one another.)
Wizards are people, too. People who can set you on fire.
Relevant Topics and Central Issues: One of the most important elements of the fantastic trappings is to remember they are exactly that -- decorations that should be used to enhance the plot and characters, not define them. People haven't changed much in the few thousand years we've been around, and we're not likely to change a lot in the next few centuries. Greed, love, jealousy, anger, fear, and all the other wonderful things that make us human all eventually rise to the surface, regardless of the setting. It's absolutely critical that your central themes and conflict are believable and relatable. No, we can't relate to a reality-bending wizard chucking lightning from a weather-worn tower (as awesome as that would be). But we can identify with the rage he feels when he's unjustly accused of the destruction of a nearby village. Stories that fail to build around these kinds of relatable themes may be fast-paced, evocative, and fun, but they will never hold any long-term value.
No Lectures: This ties in with the fast-paced prose, but despite the far-out nature of both science fiction and fantasy, readers don't want to listen to an author talk about why his theories on time travel are the best thing since sliced bread. They don't want to read sixteen pages on magical theory. They want the meat of the story, especially in the young adult setting. This is where YA fantasy / sci-fi deviates most from the standard genres. Tolkien and Jordan, for instance, go into great detail to ensure that the reader has a crystal-clear view of the world, but this is because the reader will be spending hundreds and hundreds of pages exploring said world. In a young adult short story, we only want to know what's relevant.
Uses of the Genre
"So many options ... where to start? Igor! Bring me the shrunken heads."
Authorial Exploration: Authors who wish to explore particular venues without being up-front about it (or who wish to make a point through analogy and allegory) can use fantastic stories to drive a point home. For example, C.S. Lewis made it no secret that The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was meant to be a basic allegory for the story of Christ. The fantasy genre allowed him to write a wonderful, unique story while still hearkening to elements that were important to him. (You can find a detailed analysis of several of the Chronicles of Narniahere)
If there was one question that defined science fiction and fantasy, it would be "what if?" It allows authors to really exercise their imagination, expanding their logic from invented scenarios, drawing out logical conclusions to situations that never existed. Whether the question is "what if magic existed in our modern world" or "what if we all lived on Mars three hundred years from now," the inquisitive, self-exploration that science fiction and fantasy embody make it fascinating for both readers and writers alike.
Masked Catharsis: One nice thing about this sub-genre is the little mask it gives us for our real life issues. A good story already involves catharsis of some kind, but the science fiction and fantasy genres allow us to experience this without having to read about issues that affect us directly. It may be extremely painful to read a story that is too similar to events going on in your own life, but reading about similar issues tied to an interesting, fantastic new world dulls it enough to make it tolerable. Some people use fantasy to "escape," for exactly that reason. The issues involved are close enough to home to relate with, but not so close that they aggravate the wound.
The Most Important ElementIf you take away one thing about the science fiction and fantasy sub-genre, it should be this: Good young adult science fiction and fantasy literature already qualifies as good YA literature before the fantastic trappings are added. Firebird Rising contains the following stories: "Huntress," by Tamora Pierce "Unwrapping," by Nina Kiriki Hoffman "The Real Thing," by Allison Goodman "Little (Grrl) Lost," by Charles de Lint "I'll Give You My Word," by Diana Wynne Jones "In the House of the Seven Librarians," by Ellen Klages "Wintermoon Wish," by Sharon Shinn "The Wizards of Perfil," by Kelly Link "Jack o'Lantern," by Patricia A. McKillip "Quill," by Carol Emshwiller "Blood Roses," by Francesca Lia Block "Hives," by Kara Dalkey "Perception," by Alan Dean Foster "The House on the Planet," by Tanith Lee "Cousins," by Pamela Dean "What Used to Be Good Still Is," by Emma Bull
And even though science fiction and fantasy aren't quite the girl-banes they used to be, it wouldn't be a true sci-fi / fantasy wiki page without some fun nerd songs
Firebirds Rising:An Exploration of Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Overly Long Wiki Page Titles in Young Adult Literature
What is Science Fiction?
Bad make-up and cheesy sound effects, mostly. But I'm guessing you're looking for a little more than that, so I suppose we can consult good ol' Webster: Fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes, frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other planets.
Can you define Fantasy?
Depending on who you're talking to, this answer might not be PG. But if you're just looking for a definition of genre (which, of course, you are), look no further: A genre of imaginative fiction involving magic and adventure, esp. in a setting other than the real world
Overly Long Wiki Page Titles?
That would be a Wiki Page Title. You know, one that's way too long. Like mine is. Don't judge me.
Reader Expectations:
Like any genre of writing, science fiction and fantasy have certain elements that readers expect to see. Young Adult Sci-Fi and Fantasy are no different. Here are a few of them:
Fantastic Alterations of Reality: Whether your scope is as large as an entire planet made out of spaghetti and time-travelling French bullfrogs or as small as a slightly-more-powerful-than-normal GPS system, readers of fantasy and science fiction always have at least one expectation in mind: something will be different. Part of the allure of fantasy and science fiction is the exploration of worlds vastly different from our own -- worlds in which reality doesn't always behave quite as it should. If a piece of work fails to deliver on this most basic premise, it's not fantasy or science fiction. And therefore probably not cool.
Fast-Paced Prose: Short stories, by their very nature, must be fast-paced in order to keep the reader's attention. When dealing with young adults, this becomes even more important, as most adolescents have the approximate attention span of a dried banana peel. Many stories start in medias res, giving us an indication of something that has happened, or is about to happen very shortly. Here is an excerpt from "The Real Thing," by Allison Goodman:
The mind experiment had seemed like a good idea an hour ago. Now I wasn't so sure; Mavkel and I barely had the basics of telepathy covered, let alone this kind of thing. "Are you prepared, Joss-partner?" Mav sung, the tips of his double-jointed ears quivering with excitement. He was a Chorian, a mainly telepathic race, but when he did speak he used his two mouths to harmonise the words.
(See how tricky she is there? Not only does she build tension with foreshadowing, but she also sneaks in that physical description by attaching it to something new and unique. Before we realize that she's slowing down the story, we've been given this creative sensory input -- two voices harmonizing with one another.)
Relevant Topics and Central Issues: One of the most important elements of the fantastic trappings is to remember they are exactly that -- decorations that should be used to enhance the plot and characters, not define them. People haven't changed much in the few thousand years we've been around, and we're not likely to change a lot in the next few centuries. Greed, love, jealousy, anger, fear, and all the other wonderful things that make us human all eventually rise to the surface, regardless of the setting. It's absolutely critical that your central themes and conflict are believable and relatable. No, we can't relate to a reality-bending wizard chucking lightning from a weather-worn tower (as awesome as that would be). But we can identify with the rage he feels when he's unjustly accused of the destruction of a nearby village. Stories that fail to build around these kinds of relatable themes may be fast-paced, evocative, and fun, but they will never hold any long-term value.
No Lectures: This ties in with the fast-paced prose, but despite the far-out nature of both science fiction and fantasy, readers don't want to listen to an author talk about why his theories on time travel are the best thing since sliced bread. They don't want to read sixteen pages on magical theory. They want the meat of the story, especially in the young adult setting. This is where YA fantasy / sci-fi deviates most from the standard genres. Tolkien and Jordan, for instance, go into great detail to ensure that the reader has a crystal-clear view of the world, but this is because the reader will be spending hundreds and hundreds of pages exploring said world. In a young adult short story, we only want to know what's relevant.
Uses of the Genre
Authorial Exploration: Authors who wish to explore particular venues without being up-front about it (or who wish to make a point through analogy and allegory) can use fantastic stories to drive a point home. For example, C.S. Lewis made it no secret that The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was meant to be a basic allegory for the story of Christ. The fantasy genre allowed him to write a wonderful, unique story while still hearkening to elements that were important to him. (You can find a detailed analysis of several of the Chronicles of Narnia here)
If there was one question that defined science fiction and fantasy, it would be "what if?" It allows authors to really exercise their imagination, expanding their logic from invented scenarios, drawing out logical conclusions to situations that never existed. Whether the question is "what if magic existed in our modern world" or "what if we all lived on Mars three hundred years from now," the inquisitive, self-exploration that science fiction and fantasy embody make it fascinating for both readers and writers alike.
Masked Catharsis: One nice thing about this sub-genre is the little mask it gives us for our real life issues. A good story already involves catharsis of some kind, but the science fiction and fantasy genres allow us to experience this without having to read about issues that affect us directly. It may be extremely painful to read a story that is too similar to events going on in your own life, but reading about similar issues tied to an interesting, fantastic new world dulls it enough to make it tolerable. Some people use fantasy to "escape," for exactly that reason. The issues involved are close enough to home to relate with, but not so close that they aggravate the wound.
The Most Important ElementIf you take away one thing about the science fiction and fantasy sub-genre, it should be this: Good young adult science fiction and fantasy literature already qualifies as good YA literature before the fantastic trappings are added.
Firebird Rising contains the following stories:
"Huntress," by Tamora Pierce
"Unwrapping," by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
"The Real Thing," by Allison Goodman
"Little (Grrl) Lost," by Charles de Lint
"I'll Give You My Word," by Diana Wynne Jones
"In the House of the Seven Librarians," by Ellen Klages
"Wintermoon Wish," by Sharon Shinn
"The Wizards of Perfil," by Kelly Link
"Jack o'Lantern," by Patricia A. McKillip
"Quill," by Carol Emshwiller
"Blood Roses," by Francesca Lia Block
"Hives," by Kara Dalkey
"Perception," by Alan Dean Foster
"The House on the Planet," by Tanith Lee
"Cousins," by Pamela Dean
"What Used to Be Good Still Is," by Emma Bull
Other Links
YA Sci-Fi Reading Suggestions
YA Fantasy Reading Suggestions
Tamora Pierce's YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy Reading List
And even though science fiction and fantasy aren't quite the girl-banes they used to be, it wouldn't be a true sci-fi / fantasy wiki page without some fun nerd songs